RE: Acorns - Why The Bumper Crop This Year
Such gorgeous colors in those acorns! That last photo is especially beautiful! It looks like you have at least two different kinds of oaks.
I wonder if the oaks in the "white oak" group are more likely to have widely fluctuating crops. Their acorns mature in one year, while the "black/red oak" group takes 2 years to mature their acorns. So they would have to set on a huge crop and then keep them holding on the next year. That seems like it would be too long of a commitment to really cycle through lean years and mast years very effectively. Their acorns have a lot more tannin in them, too. So wildlife likes the "white oak" group a lot more -- maybe that extra pressure leads to the process you describe.
I like to eat acorns, especially the larger ones from different oaks in the "white oak" group. Bur oak acorns are really good - and big, and chestnut oaks and chinquapin oaks are almost low enough in tannin to eat straight up, no processing. Enjoy your acorns!
I had no idea there were acorns that could be eaten without preparation. I'm not confident in my identification of the different oaks on my property yet. I know I have several. It's a lot easier for me to tell after the fact, when I'm splitting the wood. The deer really seem to like the majority of the acorns in the pictures. So perhaps they are white oaks. I have ordered a tree identification book for my state. I'm looking forward to reading that.